File:Chinese Garden of Friendship dedication stone.jpg

English: (transcription)

GARDEN OF FRIENDSHIP The Garden of Friendship is a Chinese garden proposed by the Chinese Community in Sydney to celebrate the Bicentenary of Australia. The New South Wales Government accepted this proposal and funded its Consideration. The Guangdong Provincial Government of the People’s Republic of China, holding in high esteem the friendship between Australia and China, strongly endorsed the project and actively participated in it. The Guangzhou Bureau of Parks and Gardens designed and supervised the project and worked in co-operation with the New South Wales Darling Harbour Authority to bring the Garden into being. The Garden is situated in Darling Harbour. Set alongside the reflection of sails and gull-crested waves of water rippling out into the distance the Garden captures the mood of a forest refuge to the bustling city. The techniques employed are intricately manifested over the whole area of the Garden, revealing numerous variations within its confined space. The Twin Pavilion with its tiled roof symbolizes the friendship between Australia and China, the tall triple-eaved Pavilion reaching up towards the clouds provides an excellent site for listening to the sound of moving water while resting against the railing. The Double-sided and Through-carved Wall depicts two dragons frolicking in the water, racing to fetch the pearl. Rocks nestled amid bamboos and huts among the hills await the music of the lutes to invite in the phoenix. The poetry couplets executed in fine calligraphy are infused with brilliance their superb composition enhances the vibrant colours of the Garden. The rivulets and the lights, the trees, rocks, birds and flowers the setting for viewing platforms by ponds, the shelter at covered walkways and pavilions are all the creations of craftsmen who have extracted the essence of their inherent beauty. On a fine day when the sun is shining, on a moonlit night or at the break of dawn, a walk through the Garden enjoying the visual delights will leave one amazed at the boundless panoramas. A fondness for it lingers and thoughts of leaving are forgotten. Here in this garden generates the warmth of a friendship which will endure for a thousand springtimes. January 1988

(Brass plaque) NEW SOUTH WALES – GUANGDONG SISTER STATE RELATIONSHIP 20TH ANNIVERSARY 1979 – 1999

The Hon. Sandra Nori, MP, NSW Minister for Small Business and Minster for Tourism and H. E. Li Lanfang, Vice Governor of the Guangdong Provincial Government, unveiled this plaque to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the New South Wales – Guangdong Sister State Relationship